Best of Oregon, USA: Portland, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Oregon Coast 101, Columbia River Gorge & Willamette Valley - A 2026 First-Person Guide
Browse more guides: United States travel | Americas destinations Best of Oregon, USA: Portland, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Oregon Coast 101, Columbia River Gorge & Willamette Valley - A 2026 First-Person Guide I have spent more nights in Oregon than I can honestly remember now, and the state still surprises me every time I land at Portland International. I have stood at the rim of Crater Lake at sunrise with the air so still that the surface looked like one solid pane of blue glass. I have driven Highway 101 from Astoria to Brookings in a single rented hatchback with a thermos of black coffee, stopping at every overlook that called my name. I have tasted Pinot Noir straight from a barrel in a Dundee Hills cellar where the winemaker also poured my coffee that morning. This guide is the practical, opinionated playbook I wish someone had handed me on my first trip, written from the seat of the car and not from a tourism press release. TL;DR Oregon is the Pacific Northwest in conce...